‘Portal 2’ Trailer Proves Bots Are More Trustworthy Than Humans

Aperture Science, the fictional company at the center of the Portal 2 storyline, has just released a new instructional video that highlights why Valve chose robots over humans for the cooperative sections in the game.

Though the trailer is devoid of any real gameplay footage, keeping the game’s secrets as closely guarded as possible, it does carry the signature sense of humor that has made the Portal series so engaging.

As indicated by the company’s proclivity for robotic AI, Aperture Science has had some tough times turning to humans as test subjects. While humans have the ability to reason, certainly a plus for the mind-bending puzzles of Portal 2, they also are prone to betrayal.

Robots, like Atlas and P-body, may be equally as untrustworthy, but will betray one another much later than a human would betray a fellow human. Therefore, Aperture Science thought it best to leave protagonist Chell to her single player experience, and let Atlas and P-body partake in the cooperative experiments.

Of course, it’s much more interesting to hear this explained by JK Simmons (as the character of Cave Johnson), so without further ado here is the new ‘Bot Trust’ instructional video:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNmvlnUMEs8

Set to release in under a month, these brief looks at the humorous backstory to Portal 2 should serve as perfect appetizers to the full experience. Valve, a company that is prone to delays and secrecy, wants to ensure that gamers come into Portal 2 fresh. There might be elements of the game that Valve has been willing to shed a little light on, namely that the title will be less frustrating than the original, but that doesn’t give anything away.

It’s a bold move on Valve’s part to keep many of the game’s secrets, especially the juicy details of its story, secret, but one that we hope pays off. Going into the Portal 2 experience with nothing but a general idea of the mechanics and, if so inclined, a list of the game’s achievements, should be enough to make the experience one of the best of 2011.

Which element of Portal 2 are you looking forward to more: single player or multiplayer? Do you agree that robots take much longer to betray one another than humans?